Multilayer metal foil insulation has been used for many years, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 1,934,174. Such metal foil insulation has typically been used in high temperature applications for reflective heat insulation. In those applications, the layers of metal foils are embossed to provide separation between the layers, and the stack of layers are protected in a container or rigid cover to prevent the stack of metal foils from becoming compressed at any portion, which would decrease the heat insulation value of the stack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,743, discloses that multilayer metal foil insulation can provide enhanced performance as a heat shield when a portion of the multilayer metal foil is compressed to provide a heat sink area through which heat is collected from the insulating portions of the stack and dissipated from the heat shield. Such multilayer metal foil heat shields are formed from a stack of embossed metal foil layers by compressing portions of the stack to create the desired heat sink areas. The layers are attached to each other or stapled together to prevent the layers from separating. The heat shields and acoustic shields formed according to the disclosure of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,743 are typically compressed in the heat sink areas and cut to a desired pattern. Such multilayer metal foil heat shields do not normally have sufficient structural strength for stand-alone use in many applications. For many applications, the metal foil heat shields are typically attached to a structural support member or pan to provide a final assembly which is then placed in service as a heat shield or acoustic shield. The support members are typically metal pans, metal stampings or metal castings. Typical applications for such heat shield assemblies include automotive heat shield applications.
The disclosures of the above patents are incorporated herein by reference.